Ephesus, Turkey - Instagram Stories
At the end of the cruise when we talked about our favorite days, everyone said Ephesus was one of the highlights. We had a guide pick us up and take us all around the city in a private van. It was so nice to follow him around and get a food feel for the city and it’s history.
We started high on the hill, a place that Scholars believe that Christ’s mother, Mary may have spent her last years living in Ephesus. Such a peaceful place. We particularly enjoyed the wishing wall, where each person wrote their hopes and dreams and added to the strings of papers stuck in the walls. Chris and I wrote hopes and dreams for each one of our kids.
The main attraction was the ancient ruins of the city Ephesus. It was hot and crowded but interesting. Our guide said that this level of crowd is what it would have looked like back in it’s day. We took a lot of pictures and some people even took pictures of us too. I guess a big family is a sight.
We enjoyed the Bath House, the Celsus Library and the Hatian Temple. We definitely used our wet cooling rags and fans and looked for shade wherever we could.
Our tour guide took us to a cute pottery place and we watched a man make clay pots and tear vases in record time. He was so fast. We learned that part of Turkish culture is when a husband goes on a trip then the wife fills up her vase with all the tears she has cried while he’s been away. On his return she presents him with all her tears and he exchanges that with a present. We watched the painters decorating the vases and then walked through the shop where they presented us with orange Turkish soda and hoped that we would buy all kinds of pottery to ship home - which we didn’t. Such a lovely stop though. We next headed to the Bascilia of Saint John - believed to be the final resting spot of the apostle John.
Lastly we tried some Turkish food for lunch… grilled eggplant, fried cheese, salad, rice and lamb. Everything was so good. Then we watched the weavers making rugs and were given the royal treatment for a beautiful carpet show. So fun to watch several strong guys roll out carpets one over another right in front of us. It was quite the show.
Ended the night with a plate of Turkish delight back on the cruise ship - which was so good.
